


Deafening Silence: The Bootleg Series

by heyidkyay



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Deaf Character, Deaf Harry Styles, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Multi, POV Multiple, Past Character Death, Past Violence, Popular Louis Tomlinson, Tattoo Artist Harry Styles, Tattooed Harry Styles, trigger warnings on certain chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:22:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29864952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyidkyay/pseuds/heyidkyay
Summary: A selection of added chapters/missing scenes from various points in 'Deafening Silence'. From other characters point of views.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Kudos: 7





	1. Anne: Febuary 1st

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First chapter is set before the start of the book, the day of the assault. From Anne's PoV.

"Higher, love. It's got to be higher!" Anne called, one hand settled on her hip whilst the other flapped haphazardly in mid air, directing Gemma on where to hang the oversized banner.

It was the last thing they had to do before she could start on unwrapping all of the food she had cooked earlier that afternoon. They had to get it all sorted and out onto the table before everyone arrived.

The teenage girl seemed to give up at that point, deciding that she was done with the whole polava of ' _right, no left, up, a little bit higher, no, I said left, Gem!'_ and huffed loudly before pinning the final edge to the wall. She made a big show of hopping down off the wooden stall they had used to hang the rest of the party decorations and joined Anne in staring up at the foil sign reading ' _Happy 14th Birthday!_ '.

"It's gunna have to do, mum. I'm knackered." Gemma complained as she combed a hand through her long brown hair. It was curly today, different from the usual straight and teased look she often opted for.

Anne pursed her lips before sighing defeatedly and turning to face her daughter, "Suppose so. Looks perfect, well, only if you tilt your head a little to the right."

Gemma snorted, cocking her head to the side before nodding along amusedly. "To be fair though, it's only the family coming over. The little ones aren't gunna care- too busy running round, getting hyper off of all the cake they're bound to have- and the rest of them are probably too blind to even read what it says."

"Gemma!" Anne scolded, tapping the girls wrist. Only, her resolve didn't last too long before she rolled her eyes, her lip quirking upwards ever so slightly.

"You've got a point." Was what she settled on, unable to deny the truth Gemma's statement held. "Now, go on, go and clean yourself up before everyone arrives- I've still got to go and search for the candles. All fourteen of them!"

—

Their tiny living room, that was already snug enough without all the added people, was practically bursting at the seams. There wasn't an empty space left to sit, even the coffee table had turned into a makeshift pouffe. It was so full of life though, everyone was smiling, chatting away and getting caught up on one another's lives. Anne couldn't stop the smile that settled onto her features as she gazed lovingly around at them all.

Aunt Sal was sat in the farthest armchair, close by the window so that she could smoke without a care. She seemed rather content, bundled up in one of the large, frumpy jumpers she had knitted over the Christmas period, and was already on, what seemed to be, her fourth cigarette since she had arrived.

Brian, or Ian as he had recently preferred to be called- Sal's eldest son- was stood by the old telly set, tea mug in hand, chatting away to Gemma about his recent travels in Australia. The teenage girl seemed more than fascinated, intrigued by all of the exciting tales her older cousin had to offer, practically hanging off of his every word.

Great-Nana Styles was in her wheelchair and seemed to be getting a quick snooze in before the festivities started. The ninety-three year old woman was clad in a colourful party hat and the younger kids had taken the time to deck out her chair with all sorts of decorations, having added an array of streamers to the large wheels as well as having placed two yellow balloons on either end of the handlebars.

It wouldn't be much longer until Harry got home, Anne decided, as she puttered through the room to settle the last few dishes down at the buffet. It was an eclectic spread which ranged from pink panthers (Harry's favourites) and mini sausage rolls to vol-au-vents and cheese sandwiches.

She peered over at the clock on the back wall and found that her son was due home any minute. "Gem!" She beckoned and watched as the girl snapped her head over and nodded in quick understanding. Gemma apologised to Ian, ending their riveting conversation, before hurrying over.

"Yeah, mum?"

"Think it's time you headed out to wait by the end of the garden, love- warn us when he's coming."

Gemma grinned excitedly. "I'll knock a couple times when I spot him down the end of the street so you can all hide."

"Sounds brilliant. Thank you."

With that the teenage girl left and swept out of the front door, leaving everyone else to just sit and wait.

And wait they did.

Time seemed to drag on ever so painfully but still, there was no apparent sign of Harry. Gemma had shook her head both times Anne had stuck her head out of the front door to question her sons arrival. 

It seemed as though the boy was never going to show up at this rate. Anne silently wondered if he'd had football practice scheduled for after school- she had even gone as far to check the calendar on the fridge. But no, there shouldn't have been any hold up.

Gemma had been sat out on the curb for the better part of an hour before Anne called her back inside. They both seemed rather anxious and worried as they paced the hallway but neither spoke up.

Ever since the clock had struck half past three, Anne had only grown more and more sick. It was just so unlike Harry to be late home, to not call or text to mention the fact that he wasn't going to be back in time, or that he had chosen to stay behind to finish up some work. The nauseous feeling that had pooled in her stomach slowly started to overcome her as the seconds began to tick by.

It felt like a entire lifetime had passed before she heard the house phone ring. The sound was loud and obnoxious even in the crowded home, it rang and rang, echoing off the walls, downing out the sea of chatter.

The rest of the guests had taken to picking at the buffet whilst they waited and were all gathered around the telly to see what films were on to watch, none of them paying her much mind.

Anne sucked in a sharp breath as she hurried over to answer it, trying to give everyone the best smile she could muster as she passed them by.

The phone rattled against the hook slightly as she pulled it away and it was only then she realised that her hand was shaking slightly. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and inhaled deeply before raising the phone to her ear.

It clattered to the floor only a moment later.


	2. Liam: Mid August

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is from Liam's PoV, prior to the start of the book. It focuses on his meeting of Harry and the start of their friendship, you can see it mentioned in Chapter One of Deafening Silence, 'Fourteen'.

_Summer was almost half way over_ and Liam couldn't seem to get that exact thought out of his head. It was on a constant loop, slowly driving him mad. Because what else could he possibly think about when he had done practically _everything_ you could ever do during the summer!

He had spent every free moment he had with Niall, messing about and finding new places to explore. He had his paper route that he biked every morning- it wasn't all that hard of a task but it quickly became gruelling, repeating the same incessant activity day after day.

Not just that, he had even taken to helping his mum out with chores around the house whenever she asked and had helped his dad work on their family car. Learnt all there was to know about engines, tyre pressure and whatever else cars had to offer him.

He had even been on holiday! A week trip spent in the Lake District further up North where he'd climbed mountains, raced dirt bikes and swam for hours on end. It had been a truly incredible experience, he had even taken to speaking about it for weeks after they had gotten back- which apparently had begun to drive Niall insane, so he had since calmed down an awful lot on that front.

But now there was nothing to do.

Absolutely nothing.

He wondered briefly if he could get his mum to drive both him and Niall into Manchester for the day, just to escape everything here for a little while. There was tons to do there, he had heard so from a couple of the lads at school who were always talking about visiting the stadium as well as the huge cinema they had in the Trafford Centre. He closed his eyes and pictured it. The large film screen, the cushioned seats. He could almost smell the popcorn waft past his nose.

All his silent pondering was cut short when he heard his sister, Ruth, call up the stairs. "Liam! Mum wants you!"

There was a few more muffled words that followed as Liam stood to his feet and he was pretty certain that he heard the very moment his mums eye had rolled from all the way up in his bedroom. It was probably the same as always, she had a certain catchphrase for almost everything; whenever she asked one of her children to fetch the other and they took to shouting instead of walking, she would always tut, ' _Well I could have bloody well done that!_ '

Liam begrudgingly took to the stairs, not wanting to keep her waiting, but made sure that his feet thumped against each individual step as he made his way down.

"I do wish you'd stop with that." Karen reprimanded when Liam entered the kitchen. She was stood at the sink, washing up what was left of the dirty plates, and looked a little scary because of the way her rectangular glasses had slipped down her nose.

"Sorry."

Karen hummed before placing the final dish on the dryer and turning to him. "I've got a tray of brownies settled on the side- and no they are not for you." She added when she saw the way her sons face lit up at the mention of the sweet desert. "They're for the new neighbours. They moved in yesterday, figured it'd be a nice way to welcome them to the area."

Liam nodded before furrowing his brow, "Wait, why are you telling me?"

Karen rolled her eyes and huffed out a quiet laugh, now drying off her hands on a nearby tea towel, before she moved over towards the counter to pick up a transparent box.

"When I spoke to the woman outside yesterday, she mentioned that it was just her and her two children moving in. Think her boy's about your age." The woman explained as she walked over to hand Liam the container.

His mouth watered at the sight of the contents, gooey chocolatey brownies piled up, one on top of the other, drizzled in a white chocolate sauce. She _knew_ they were his favourite.

"Figured it'd be a good start for you to make a friend."

That pulled Liam out of his little reverie. "You want _me_ to give these to them?" He asked, incredulous, as if he couldn't believe the words he had just uttered.

"Yes, Li, _you_." His mum shook her head amusedly and Liam pouted petulantly.

"Bit unfair, ain't it? First you lure me in with baked goods only to then mention that they're not in fact for me, now you expect me to hand the brownies over willingly! Its demented mum! Evil!"

"Always had a taste for the dramatics, Li." Karen laughed, turning away to flip the kettle on, a bright smile limning her lips. "Will you please just do this for me, love? I'm sure the lad is lovely. You two could be fast friends."

Liam groaned quietly but didn't make the effort to argue, knowing it would only be the start of a losing battle, and in all honesty, what else did he have to do?

It only took him a few minutes to slip on a pair of trainers before he was trailing out the door with a kiss on the cheek from his mum, and a reminder to ' _be polite!_ '

He was always polite, he grumbled to himself as he cut across the grass. His teachers thought so at least, well, only when Niall wasn't dragging him into all of his idiotic pranks.

Liam huffed at the thought, throughout the holidays the Irish lads antics had only grown worse- he was still paying for the time Niall had roped him into switching out his sisters' shampoo for hair dye. They ended up not speaking to him for two weeks and somehow ended up worming a can of tinned dog food into his sandwich one lunch. He grimaced at the memory, he was convinced that he could still taste the slimy meat.

Rounding the fence that separated the two houses, Liam found himself only a few steps away from the front door. It was a bright, glossy red, he reckoned it had been exchanged since the last tenants that lived there, but that was almost a year ago, no one had resided in the home since.

At first, he figured they'd have a new set of neighbours by the end of the first week (and had been somewhat excited about the concept of having other kids in the area), but a week quickly turned into a month and the year must have just swept by without Liam even realising.

Maybe, his mum was right, if another lad his age lived right next door it might make things a little more exciting- as long as they got along with Niall too, of course.

With that thought, he promptly reached out his hand to ring the doorbell. His brow furrowed when he saw lights flash in the hallway through the small, tinted glass window that sat beside the door. He didn't have much time to overthink it before the door was swinging open and a brown haired girl came into view.

Liam's tongue suddenly felt a little too big for his mouth and he all but shoved the container he was holding into the girls hands.

His eyes widened once he realised he had yet to say a word and that the girl, who looked only a few years older than him, was staring at him like he'd just pissed on her doorstep.

"Um."

"Sorry! I'm- I'm Liam, I live next door." He rambled, cheeks growing more and more flushed by the second, gesturing in the direction of the fence that separated the two houses. "Those are for you by the way! To welcome you and all that. They're brownies- but don't worry I didn't make them, my mum did, she's a proper great baker."

The brunette glanced at him once before her eyes flitted to the box she now cradled in her hand.

Liam watched as her lips quirked up into a small smirk before she laughed lightly. He couldn't even find it in him to be all that embarrassed by the fact that she was definitely laughing at him- there was no other explanation for it, he was an utter idiot- he just let the sweet sound wash over him.

"Gem, who was at the door?" A voice called out from further inside the house.

"A neighbour! One sec!" The girl- _Gem?_ \- shouted back before gesturing Liam in.

He swallowed thickly before quite literally stumbling through the threshold. He cringed as he righted himself and quickly plastered on a smile before turning to face the older girl, who seemed to be struggling to contain her apparent laughter as she shut the door behind them.

"Come and meet mum, she'll want to thank you for these." The girl said as she nodded down the hallway.

Liam could only smile in silent understanding before following after her. He took the time to gaze about as they walked down the hall, avoiding the last of the moving boxes that had yet to be moved, not wanting to make a bigger fool of himself. It seemed as though the house's layout was the exact same as his own, only flipped.

They made it to the kitchen in no time and Liam was presented with a woman who seemed to be having some trouble with the blind that lined the window. He looked it over once before seeing what the issue was and without thinking went to join the older woman.

"Here." Liam spoke, startling the lady slightly, as he reached up to click the pole into place. "You got a screwdriver lying about?" He quizzed, eyeing the loose screw.

The woman floundered for a moment before picking up the yellow headed tool and handing it over. Liam made quick work of tightening the screw before rolling down the blind to make sure that it stayed in place. He grinned at a job well done.

It was only when he heard the voice from earlier breath out an amused ' _thank you_ ' did he turn back around. He gave the two strangers a sheepish smile before settling the screwdriver back down on the counter.

"Sorry."

"That's the second time he's said that since he got here."

"Gemma!" The older woman crowed, turning to face the younger of the two with large eyes.

Liam found that the two of them looked eerily similar. The same dark hair, same brown eyes, same bright smile. It didn't take a genius to realise that they were mother and daughter, and he smiled at the two a little more easily as they chuckled quietly amongst themselves.

The older woman grinned sweetly at him, "Thank you, sweetheart. No need to apologise, I've been trying to get the silly thing to work for the better part of an hour now."

"No worries, just glad I could help."

"Well, aren't you lovely! Did I hear Gem say that you were a neighbour?" The woman questioned as she gestured for him to take a seat at the wooden table that was settled in the corner of the room.

"Um, yeah. Mum said that she spoke to you yesterday."

"Oh! I remember her mentioning something about a son, it's Liam, right?"

Liam only nodded at her in confirmation before the woman turned to her daughter and motioned towards the kettle that had been set up.

"Well, it's lovely to finally meet you, your mum only said good things." She assured with a motherly smile.

Liam scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. He hoped his mum hadn't ranted about him for long- she had a tendency to do that, even though she knew he found it utterly mortifying.

"I'm Anne and this is Gemma, my daughter." The woman, Anne, introduced, gesturing at the young girl who was busying herself with making a few cups of tea. "I've got a son about your age too, Harry." She quietened for a moment before inhaling and forcing a smile, "He's such a lovely boy, think you two would really get along."

"I'm sure he's great. Plus, I'm always looking for new mates. Can get a bit boring around here sometimes." Liam replied with a faint chuckle.

Anne hummed with a small smile, "He's a little quiet, mind. Only because he's been through so much recently. But I'm hoping this move will do him some good."

Liam was a little confused by her comment. He watched as the woman's eyes glossed over slightly and couldn't stop himself from nervously fiddling with the hem of his T-shirt.

It was Gemma who inevitably broke the short silence. "Liam! How'd you take your tea? Milk, sugar? Think we've got even some oat milk in the fridge if you prefer that."

Liam jumped a little at the sound of her voice and only let his eyes linger on Anne for a moment longer before he answered. "One sugar please, only a little bit of milk."

"A man after my own heart." Gemma swooned dramatically making Liam grin, "We have actual rows in this household over what makes up the perfect cup of tea. Mum's always opted for black and at the moment H has taken to just having milk in his."

"How British." Liam teased and his stomach flipped when the girl laughed.

"Um, so how old are you Liam?" Anne asked, tuning back into the conversation. Liam sent her a gentle smile.

"Fourteen, but I'll be fifteen at the end of the month."

"That's grand. Our Haz just turned fourteen in February." Anne mentioned as Gemma settled a large mug into her hands. Liam thanked the girl quietly when he was handed his own. "Do you go to the school nearby then? Is it any good?"

"Oh yeah, it's fine. Good as a school can get, I guess." Liam chuckled with a small shrug. "Plus it's not too far a walk."

"Well, our Gem's headed there in September for her final year, so hopefully it'll be nice for her to see a familiar face." Anne smiled, taking a small sip of her tea.

"Oh, yeah, sure. I mean, I'd be happy to show you around." Liam offered, trying not to stutter over his words as he turned to face the girl. "I'm going into year ten but I've got classes in the sixth form building."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Li!" Gemma beamed, pulling her leg up underneath her as she took to her seat.

Liam felt his cheeks warm at the nickname but neither woman said anything about it.

"So, is your son Harry going there too?"

Anne looked away and Gemma opted to take a slow sip of her drink.

"I don't think so, sweetheart." The older spoke softly after a few seconds had passed, "You see... I mentioned earlier that our Harry's been through a lot but well, I think it'll take some time before he's ready to head back to school."

"Oh, that's fine." Liam retorted faintly, hoping that was enough of a reply. He was suddenly unsure on how to go about the conversation.

"Would you wanna meet him?" Anne asked all of a sudden and Liam lurched forward slightly in surprise. He was more than thankful for the fact that his hot drink hadn't spilt all down his front.

"Um, sure. I mean, if he'd like too."

Anne smiled at him before standing to her feet and Liam hurried to follow after her, noting how Gemma didn't seem to move a muscle.

"He's just up in his room." The woman told him after having placed both of their mugs onto the counter. She led him back through the hallway and as they ascended the stairs she spoke again.

"You see, Haz went through some stuff before we moved here..." Liam nodded along with her as the steps creaked beneath their feet. "And well, it really affected him- sorry, it's still really hard to talk about."

They paused on the landing and Liam reached out to place a gentle hand on Anne's shoulder as the woman struggled to smile in appreciation.

"It's alright, you don't have to tell me."

Anne immediately shook her head, "It's fine, love. I'm sure you'd work it out either way. But Harry, well, he ended up losing his hearing."

Liam swallowed thickly and felt a great lump settle in his throat.

He hadn't met a deaf person before. He was sure they had a language they could communicate in without having to speak, but he'd never learnt much more than that fact. Then his mind wondered to how it had happened. Both Anne and Gemma seemed to struggle with the topic and Liam was certain that there was a lot more to the story. He silently questioned just what had happened to the boy.

Anne must have seen the torment that washed over his face because she quickly moved to lay her hand over the one he still had fixed on her shoulder.

"I know it's a bit of a shock but he's incredible. Growing up he was so funny, always smiling, never had a bad word to say about anyone. But. Since he lost his hearing it's been a lot harder for him. He hasn't been coping well."

Liam captured his bottom lip between his teeth. Unsure about what he could possibly say.

"Can I... would it still be okay to meet him? Would he want to?"

Anne seemed to breath out a sigh, one of relief Liam was sure, before she nodded at him. "Yeah, I think so. He hasn't spoken much since it happened but the doctors say he still can. He just needs time to recover from the shock of it all."

Liam smiled cautiously when the woman dropped his hand and beckoned for him to follow. They walked down to the end of the hall, where the last door stood closed. Anne squeezed his upper arm gently, silently asking if he was still okay with everything and Liam, as thankful as he was for it, dipped his head to assure her that he was fine.

Anne reached out a fist and knocked heavily on the wooden door. 

Liam took a shaky breath when the woman pushed the structure open to reveal a decent sized bedroom, one similar to his own.

He blinked when his gaze fell on the figure bundled on the bed by the window, reading quietly to themselves. The boy had his head buried in his book so the first thing Liam spotted was the mop of chocolate curls.

Anne walked in further whilst Liam stayed near the threshold, a little fearful of the lads reaction. He watched carefully as the woman sat down on the edge of the mattress and pressed her hand to the boys arm like she had done to him only minutes before.

"H." Anne spoke ever so quietly when the boy looked up at her, Liam had to strain his ears to hear her. "I've got someone to meet you."

The boy seemed to narrow his eyes as his mum spoke, gazing at her intently. His head shot in Liam's direction the moment he accidentally knocked into the corner of dresser that resided near the door.

Liam waved bashfully, silently cursing away at already having made a tit of himself. "Um, hey."

Harry's brow furrowed deeply and he scowled before looking back at his mum.

Anne sighed quietly. "H, this is Liam. He lives next door."

Liam noticed how slowly she spoke and he quickly realised that this was probably how they had started conversing since the boy had lost his hearing. He felt for Harry, he really did. The boy looked so tired. He couldn't begin to imagine how incredibly frustrating it must be to adjust to not only never being able to hear again but with everything else that came with it, like being unable to hold a proper conversation with your own mum. His heart broke a little bit.

Anne stood up, a wary smile limning her lips. "You can try and talk to him but I doubt he'll say much."

Liam nodded once before biting his bottom lip. "Have you got any paper? A pen?"

Anne looked a little confused before a look of realisation crossed her face and she hurried over to the desk that had already been set up to retrieve the items.

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything." She whispered to him as she handed him a notebook and black biro. Then she turned to Harry who was watching them closely. "Call out if you need me. Okay?"

The boy rolled his eyes and Anne took her leave.

It was awkward. More than, actually. Liam chewed on the inside of his cheek before shuffling over towards the desk. The boy was fairly intimidating, his leer unwavering as Liam slowly dragged the desk chair over. He took a seat and nervously flickered his eyes between the silent boy and the notebook. It probably took him longer than it should have to open the book- he fumbled with the pages and ended up dropping the pen twice.

He took a deep breath as he began to write. The ink met the paper with little struggle and he only second guessed himself once before handing the book over to the boy.

Harry stared at the words on the paper for an excruciatingly long time before finally holding out a hand. It took Liam an embarrassing amount of time to realise that he was asking for the pen. He quickly handed it over with an apologetic smile.

When the notebook was tossed back onto the bedcover before him, Liam was quick to pick it up and read the reply.

_Hey I'm Liam_   
_You're mum mentioned you downstairs and I figured we could just talk for a bit_

_Why?_

Liam frowned slightly but shook his head before scribbling away and handing Harry back the book. It took a lot less longer this time for Harry to toss it over again.

_Why not? Met your sister and figured it was only fair that I got to meet you too, that way I can judge who's the better sibling to befriend_

_Gem can be a nightmare_   
_Surprised she hasn't scared you off already_

Liam had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing but he smiled down at the page and wrote back about what had happened when he'd met the girl.

It wasn't long before he and Harry were in a world of their own just scribbling away. The boy was stubborn, it seemed, when it came to opening up but he was fine learning a little more about Liam. Liam didn't mind all that much, he quite enjoyed the lads sense of humour- even through writing- and he found himself losing track of time in the boys company.

The knock that came a little while later scared them both and Liam chuckled when Anne popped her head through the opening, placing a hand on his chest to calm his beating heart.

"Made me jump."

"Sorry, sweetheart." The woman laughed lightly, her eyes bright as they travelled between himself and Harry. "Nearly time for dinner though and I figured your mum would want you home."

Liam's brows shot up in surprise, not having realised the time. "Probably, thanks for the warning."

"No worries, I'm just glad you boys had fun." Anne said quietly, speaking slowly again, making sure that her body was turned towards Harry.

"Well I best get going." Liam said as he stood up and returned the seat, writing in the notebook one last time before leaving it with Harry.

_Thanks for letting me annoy you for awhile hope I didn't get on your nerves too much_   
_This was fun though I'd be up for doing again if you'd like_

He had added his number at the end too, just in case the lad ever wanted to text, it seemed like the best option.

Just as he was trailing out of the room, following after Anne, he heard a hushed voice sound behind him.

"Bye."

He didn't look back, not wanting to embarrass the boy or have him regret saying it, but he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face.

Anne had apparently heard it too because he spotted her teary smile just as they turned to walk down the staircase.

The woman encased him in her arms the second they made it to the front door and Liam could only smile over her shoulder as he hugged her back. It felt an awful lot like his mums hugs, gentle and warm. He only hoped that she would be okay when they pulled away.

"You're welcome over anytime, you hear? It was such a pleasure to have you." Anne grinned before sniffling slightly, her brown eyes swarming with unshed tears.

"Thank you for having me. I had a really nice time."

They hugged once more and Liam called out goodbye to Gemma before leaving, letting Anne wave him off as he trailed back across the garden and round the fence.

He realised, as he walked back up the path to his own front door, that he was determined to get the moody lad to talk to him no matter what, he didn't care how long it took. He entered his own house, swiftly bypassing the stray shoe that lined the welcome rug, and decided that maybe his summer wouldn't be that boring after all.


End file.
